Category Archives: web

New LavaCon Article on TechWhirl

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I have added another article about LavaCon 2011 on the TechWhirl Online Magazine. Please check out my new session summary titled, “Lightning Talks – Multiple Speakers.”

In this article, I mentioned six speakers who each presented a lightning talk about an important topic of interest related to the field of technical communication. A lightning talk is a brief 10 minute presentation along with question and answers. Lightning talks are meant to be short, thoughtful, and sharp.

The following is a list of presenters and their topics at the Lightning Talks during LavaCon.

  • Richard Hamilton spoke about XML and Wikis
  • Alan Houser explained why it is an important time to be a technical communicator
  • Ben Woelk shared the top ten practices to shockproof social media
  • Robert Armstrong talked about the Art of the Demo and how to present a demo
  • Brenda Huettner covered how NASA approaches social media
  • Hilary Hart spoke about the importance and benefits of the Technical Communication Certification program.

“Lightning Talks – Multiple Speakers” is featured on the TechWhirl site alongside other session summaries I have posted about LavaCon 2011.

Social Media Overload?

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Are we at the point where we are constantly connected to new social media networks that we are slowly shunning these places due to a lack of interest? I had an interesting discussion with a good friend of mine, offline of course, in which we shared some feelings for why we are not posting as much as we used to. This list is not much of a surprise but a reflection of what is truly occurring. Is this a true phenomenon?

Social Media Overload

Are we overloaded with social media?

Reasons why we have social media fatigue

  1. Too many social network sites to look at in a day or week
  2. Lack of quality content posted online
  3. Content is overwhelming or too much is being posted at once
  4. Conflicts with friends and acquaintances

If there is social media fatigue, how can we mediate this issue? There are solutions that we can practice to alleviate the overload. The alternative is to shut down your computer and read a book. That alternative is not as feasible as we might think when this world is highly connected to the internet.

Solutions to alleviate social media fatigue

  1. Consolidate to a handful of social networking sites
  2. Organize your social feeds so you receive relevant information instead of junk
  3. Use a program that organizes social media sites in one place
  4. Post meaningful comments and updates that others appreciate
Social Media Overload

Ways to alleviate social media overload

While these solutions are general ideas, below are some examples of what I practice in order to avoid overloading my social media experience.

  1. Automate my blog updates using Hootsuite and a Facebook Application to post on Twitter and Facebook.
  2. Trim down my list of followers on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter so I see relevant information.
  3. Unsubscribe from updates to be sent to via email and phone
  4. Link WriteTechie RSS feeds and Twitter updates inside of LinkedIn.

There is no silver bullet to alleviate social media overload. With a few simple steps, we can clean up our online social life. It may not be possible to permanently avoid social media because it is becoming an integral part of how we communicate with the world. What we have to realize is if we are tired of social media, we need to find a method for how we can participate in a healthy and positive manner.

What are your tips and methods for reducing your social media overload?

If you are not overwhelmed by social media, find me online

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Choosing a professional username

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Last week I changed my Twitter username from @torridence to @RogerRenteria. I made the change as a result of the number of technical communication followers I have so far. I needed a username that reflects my professional use of Twitter. In this post, I wish to share my thoughts on usernames and why professionals should choose usernames wisely.

Usernames

We all know how “[email protected]” made a certain person the most awesome kid down the block. We all know how old someone was by having the birth year appended to a username, such as “[email protected].” Lastly, we figured out that Stephanie was a legitimate person with a username that had no relation to her, such as “[email protected].”

Rant Free – the way it should be.

While keeping this post free of rants, I want to emphasize the necessity to select a clean professional-looking username if you plan to market yourself on social networking sites and correspond with potential employers or business partners. Keep in mind, I remember when the internet first became popular, it was important to obscure your identity from predators. While the internet is becoming more social and a place to find employment opportunities, having a clean username demonstrates how you want to project your professional image to the corporate world.

Clean Up Usernames

I have observed extremely nice usernames floating on the internet, such as utilizing all initials, first initial and last name, first name and last initial, or full first and last name. What I see are some great usernames in use, which inspired me to change my own Twitter username to something professional.

If Hemingway Had Twitter…

Ernest Hemingway

What would Hemingway choose for his Twitter username?

If Ernest Hemingway had access to the internet, he would have the opportunity to choose usernames that were clean. This influential author also had a middle name–Miller. From Ernest Miller Hemingway, I can suggest some usernames he could use for email and Twitter.

These are only a few of the examples that Hemingway could use.

If some usernames are taken, try to add a period to it. I also understand that there are people who have usernames that have been in use for years–if not decades–and it may be difficult to change it because of how long they are associated with “[email protected].” It may be time to forward your email to a clean email address and gently notify people of the change. It may be very hard, but in the long-term it is not too late to start.

Find My Professional Usernames Online

You can add, follow, or view my profiles on these social networking sites.

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Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter